Clean your house after the holidays to start the new year off right
After the holidays, it’s time to clean your home. You may have spent weeks decorating and cooking, but now you need to get back to normal. If you don’t clean up after the holidays, all that mess will set in and be much more difficult to remove later on. Here are some quick tips for cleaning your house after the holidays so that it looks great again in no time:
Shake out and clean rugs, upholstery and curtains
After shaking out your rugs, you can vacuum them. You may be able to get away with using a standard vacuum cleaner, but the best way to clean rugs is with a rug-cleaning machine or by a rug cleaning professional. Vacuuming upholstery and curtains is another matter. For those, you’ll need an attachment or special tool. If you have curtains that aren’t too delicate, you can run the lint roller over both sides of each curtain panel. This will remove dirt and give it a fresh look! It’s important not to use chemicals on upholstery or curtains because they could damage the materials.
Vacuum your carpets or get them professionally cleaned
Don’t underestimate the importance of a good vacuum. A good vacuum can help you make sure every inch of your home is as clean as it needs to be, no matter how much you may have neglected it during the holidays. Vacuuming can help remove dust and dirt from carpets. It improves their appearance and keep them healthier in the long run.
If you don’t want to do all that work yourself, consider hiring someone for professional carpet care services once or twice a year. Maintain the carpet in-between with regular vacuuming with your own machine.
Wash all bedding
While you’re cleaning your bedroom, you should also wash all bedding. Wash blankets and sheets, pillowcases and pillows. Wash comforters and duvets—they’ll last longer if they’re washed regularly. It’s also important to wash mattress pads and protectors regularly to keep them in good condition.
Check bulbs, outlets and smoke detectors
If you haven’t checked your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in a while, it may be time to do that now.
Check bulbs, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Replace any light fixture if it’s old enough that its base is made of metal rather than plastic. This could indicate corrosion at the contacts between the wires running through the fixture’s base, which can lead to fires when they heat up.
Inspect outlets for loose wires or other signs of damage (e.g., discoloration or fraying on wires). If anything looks suspicious, shut off power at an exterior panel box and call an electrician. Most of all, be safe about it.
Check windows and doors for drafts
A quick inspection of windows and doors will help you identify any problems. This way, when you’re ready to seal them up properly, you won’t have any unexpected surprises.
Check the frame around each window and door for gaps or loose screws or nails. If there are gaps between the caulking and frame of your window, you should tighten up those screws or nails to ensure that they stay put once they’ve been covered with caulk.
Windowsills are often overlooked when it comes to sealing out drafts. To check for gaps, stand outside on a medium-to-warm day and look through one of your windows from an angle where you can see through the entire sill length. If there’s a gap between your sill and wall, then use some thick foam adhesive tape or weather stripping. You may want to call out professional help here depending on how large a gap exists between these two surfaces; smaller ones can usually be filled with fabric glue bought at a local hardware store instead (no need for special tools!).
Scrub down the bathrooms
When it comes to your bathroom, there are several surfaces that need a good cleaning. The toilet is one of the most important areas in your home and should be cleaned regularly. You can spray disinfectant on the inside and outside of the bowl, then wipe it off with a cloth. Next, clean all of the sink fixtures (including faucets), as well as any mirrors you have around the house that may have gotten dusty over time.
Finally, get rid of any leftover medication or beauty products in your medicine cabinet. Throw them out or donate them to local shelters/charities. Once done, give everything else a thorough scrubbing with soap and water. If possible, look for products labeled “green” or “eco-friendly,” which tend to be less harsh on both humans and our environment.
Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans
Dusting light fixtures and ceiling fans is a breeze, but you’re likely to miss them if you’re doing general dusting. As long as they aren’t covered in cobwebs or grime, they’ll only take a few minutes of your time each year.
Wipe the blades down with a dry microfiber cloth or paper towel. If there’s dirt on the blades that won’t come off with water, use a small amount of nonabrasive soap and water on the cloth. Clean the fan housing with clear glass cleaner and cotton swabs until all streaks are gone.
Your home will be looking good in no time.
- You can do it yourself. If you’re an orderly person, you might be able to clean your home without much help.
- You can hire a professional. If you need some extra help getting things done around the house, you can hire someone to take care of it for you.
- You’ll feel better when your home is clean! A lot of people find that when they’re stressed out or tired, just looking around at their messy spaces makes them feel worse instead of better.
When everything is in its place, it’ll be easier to relax and enjoy yourself while taking care of other things on your list (like watching TV). And once everything’s back in order again? You’ll immediately notice how much nicer it feels knowing that your house looks good as new! How do you like to clean your house? Are there any tips or tricks that you use to make the job easier?
